Winter 2014 - New Holland-Middletown Elementary District 88

N e w H o l l a n d - M i d d l e t ow n E S D 8 8
8 8 M U S TA N G M I N U T E S
WINTER 2014 ISSUE
75 1250th Street
Middletown, IL 62666
Phone: (217) 445-2421
tdugan@nhm88.com
http://www.nhm88.com
www.twitter.com/nhmesd
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
•
Superintendent’s Corner
•
Volleyball Schedule
•
School Events
•
After-School Program
•
Building Upgrades
•
...much more!
Dates to Remember
• Tuesday, December 16
— Christmas Program
— 6:30 pm
• Friday, December 19 —
1:30 pm Early Dismissal
• Monday, December
22—Friday, January 2
— Winter Break
• Monday, January 5 —
School Resumes
• Friday, January 9 — 2nd
Quarter Awards
Assembly 8:30 am
• Monday, January 19 —
No School in
Observance of Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day
Follow us on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/
nhmesd
SUPERINTENDENT’S
CORNER
It’s hard to believe that we are
rapidly approaching the halfway
point of the 2014-2015 school year!
The Christmas season is almost
upon us, and NH-M will be
collecting unopened toys for its
annual Toys for Tots campaign. If
anyone would like to donate, please
bring them to the school no later
than December 17.
The construction due to the
HVAC upgrades are almost
completed. Already students are
more comfortable, especially in the
primary wing with new heat that is
more evenly distributed and
virtually silent (as opposed to the
older 60-amp electric heat motors).
While GRP Mechanical is managing
the overall project, most of the work
has been completed by local
pipefitters, carpenters, painters and
electricians from Champaign,
Peoria, Springfield and even right
here in Middletown! Not only will
this save our district in energy costs
moving forward, but a state grant
from Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic
Opportunity (DCEO) paid for a
portion of the heat/boiler
replacement!
As always, please feel free to stop
by the school and have a look around.
While you may not have children
attending this school, we still consider
you a vested stakeholder, and are very
proud of this school. We are always
looking for a reason to show it off!
From all of us at NH-M ESD #88,
thank you for your continued support.
Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year— enjoy the time with your
families!
Respectfully yours,
Todd Dugan
Todd Dugan
Superintendent
MEET THE MUSTANGS
Each issue, we will spotlight a member of the NH-M faculty/staff in this column.
This month, we will meet Miss Lindsey Moore. Originally from Taylorville, Illinois,
Ms. Moore graduated from Benedictine
University in Springfield in May, 2012
where she graduated with a degree in
Elementary Education. Prior to coming to
NH-M, Miss Moore taught Junior High
Math. She currently resides in Taylorville
with her two cats, Oreo and Mona Lisa.
Miss Moore is loving the small town
atmosphere here, as well as teaching the
younger students!
Page 2
CH RI ST MA S PRO GRA M
The NH-M Christmas Program will occur at 6:30 pm on Tuesday,
December 16 at the NH-M School. The traditional Grandparents’ Lunch
will unfortunately not be held this year due to Lincoln Community High
School’s discontinuation of their catering service. School will be dismissed at
regular 3:10 dismissal time on this day. Students should report to the
school no later than 6:15 pm.
2 1 S T C E N T U RY S C H O O L S P R O G R A M
NH-M is pleased to offer an after-school tutoring program for selected
students. This program, 21st Century Schools, is funded through a Federal grant
administered by the Tazewell County Health Department. This program currently
has openings for up to 20 students, and focuses on providing students with a
healthy afterschool snack, homework help, First Choice curriculum on positive
choices and conflict resolution, and 20 minutes or so of physical exercise. It meets
on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 to 4:30 pm. If interested in having your
child participate, please call the school at 445-2421.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The following events are being offered to all NH-M families in order to
support the NH-MCSE’s ongoing mission to provide financial assistance
that will enable NH-M #88 to become a world-class school district:
• Saturday, December 6 — Christmas Mustang Style beginning at 7:00
am at NH-M School in Middletown
• Saturday, February 21 — Cosmic Bowling at Logan Lanes in Lincoln
• Saturday, April 18 — Annual “Running with the Mustangs” 5K &
Family Fun Day
CH RO MEB OO K S
Last year, when NH-M became the very first school in
Logan County to pilot 1:1 with Google Chromebooks. Since
that time, many districts around us have adopted similar
measures (Chester-East Lincoln, Midwest Central) with more
in the works! To those that wondered why NH-M chose the
Chromebooks, it was the affordability along with cloud-based
computing skills, rather than learning “apps” for which the
Apple iPad is known. While these tablets are working out
great for our K-2 students, our older students are now learning
how to access the web, utilize available technology, and learn
the basics of cloud computing. As of third quarter of 2014, the
Chromebooks have now surpassed the Apple iPad as the top selling device for education (Lee, 2014).
Chromebooks start at $199 and range in price up to $299, depending on the manufacturer. NH-M initially
purchased Samsungs, but are looking heavily at the newly redesigned Dell Chromebooks in the future. Thus
far, the Chromebooks have been achieving their goals of increasing student access to online resources and the
level of engagement while learning.
Source: Lee, W. (2014) “Chromebooks beat ipads as top education device.” Accessed from: http://www.sfgate.com/business/
article/Chromebooks-beat-iPads-as-top-education-device-5910268.php#photo-7176139
Page 4
W E AT H E R C L O S I N G I N F O R M AT I O N
In the event that a school day must be cancelled because of inclement weather conditions or other
emergencies, the following stations will be notified by 6:30 am whenever possible:
WTAX (1240 AM)
WDBR (103.7FM)
WABZ (93.9 FM)
WQQL (101.9 FM)
WYMG (100.5 FM)
WJBC (1230 AM/93.7 FM) WBNQ (101.5 FM) B104 (104.1 FM)
WICS Channel 20 Springfield
WCIA Channel 3 Champaign
WHOI Channel 19 Peoria
NH-M will also be using its automated system One Call Now to notify parents of school closings, in
addition to our Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/esd) and the website (www.nhm88.com)
C AT C H S C H O O L
NH-M is proud to be the first school in Logan County to pilot the CATCH
(Coordinated Approach to Child Health) program districtwide! This program
is supported at no charge to the District thanks to the support of the Logan
County Healthy Communities Partnership and the Logan County Health
Department. This organization is driven by their mission to transform Logan
County into the healthiest community in America, and the CATCH provides
healthy, active instruction and nutritional education into all subject areas. In
addition to providing NH-M with thousands of dollars’ worth of free
equipment, CATCH also provides all teachers with classroom resources on health.
BUILDING UPGRADES
Earlier this year, NH-M entered into an energy-saving, performance-based contract in order to improve
the heating/cooling efficiency of our building. After being posted to the public for bidding, GRP Mechanical was selected to complete the project, installing 97% efficient boilers to replace the 60% efficient boiler.
As part of the project, primary classrooms were enclosed with the new heat
systems. While nearly complete, this
project has greatly improved the learning environment of NH-M (comfortable
temperatures, safety/locking doors and
quiet classrooms) while also guaranteeing an energy savings! This project was
paid for by the Logan County Facility
Sales Tax, not through property taxes.
NH-M #88
Learning Is Our #1 Priority!
BOXHOLDER
MIDDLETOWN, IL 62666